Eddie Mulder’s West Coast Dirt Track Series will kick off its 19th season with an open practice day and the first round of action on Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27, at the Willow Springs three-eighths-mile raceway in Rosamond, California.

“Opening weekend at Willow always gets everyone’s blood going,” Eddie Mulder explains. “It’s fun to get together after the winter to knock the cobwebs off with Saturday’s open practice day. Then Sunday’s races on the banked cushion get really ‘racey’ and fast, so it makes for great racing!”

Once again, Digger Helm will be graciously sponsoring the Digger Open Pro class with a $10,000 purse. Digger has been sponsoring the WCDTS Pros for 11 years! Round one will offer a minimum of $7,500 for the Dash For Cash, courtesy of Mark and Randy Zimmerman of Specialty Fabrications Inc., along with whatever money the promoter can raise from the fans in the grandstands.

Top Pros confirmed to attend include National number one, Brad Baker from Washington; number nine, Jared Mees from Clio, Michigan; number seven, “Slammin’ Sammy” Halbert; California’s Daytona Short Track winner, Briar Bauman, number 14; and number 96, Kayl Kolkman from Ventura, among others.

The other scheduled events this year are the Willow Championships on October 4 and 5 to close out the three-round series.

“No Sacramento Mile this year,” the promoter said. “We are very disappointed to lose this historic race. It was a dream come true for many people to be able to race on that big, smooth track. Riders came from all over the U.S. and Canada! There was too big of a nut to crack pricewise to rent and prep the fairground track and then put the racetrack back. Sad.”